1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk recording and/or reproducing apparatus and a control method thereof suitably applicable to a turn table for storing a disk shaped recording medium to be vertically placed, a hundred-CD changer comprising a function for controlling the disk carrying means or the like, a DVD changer, or a DVD/CD changer and the like.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, there has been designed a disk recording and/or reproducing apparatus capable of storing a number of optical disks such as CD (Compact Disk) or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) and the like to be vertically placed on a turn table. FIG. 1 is a conceptual view showing an exemplary configuration of a disk reproducing apparatus 11 of such type when viewed from a side face.
The disk reproducing apparatus 11 shown in FIG. 1 is provided so as to vertically place an optical disk Dn (n=1 to 100) on a turn table 28. This disk reproducing apparatus 11 comprises a turn table 28 supported on a base chassis (not shown) to be turned. At this turn table 28, a disk storage unit 39 capable of storing an optical disk D to be vertically placed is provided at 100 sites. Such 100 disk storage units 39 are arranged in a circumferential direction with equally angled intervals, and are disposed in a radial shape.
A disk drive unit (not shown) reproducibly operating the optical disk D is arranged at the outside of this turn table 28. This disk drive unit comprises: a disk table for driving the optical disk D to be turned by chucking it; and an optical pickup unit or the like for reading out an information signal relevant to the optical disk D mounted on this disk table, the disk being integrally driven to be turned.
Disk carrying means 64 for carrying the optical disk D is provided between this turn table 28 and the disk drive unit. This disk carrying means 64 comprises: a turning arm 67 turnably supported on a base chassis; and a pair of pinch pieces 68 or the like mounted at a tip end of this turn arm 67. The turn arm 67 is capable of turning by an angle of substantial 90 degrees in a vertical direction, and a pair of pinch pieces 68 are mounted at its tip portion so that they can pinch the optical disk D in a thickness direction.
In FIG. 1, the turn arm 67 is initiated by being turning forwardly and upwardly as indicated by the solid line, whereby a pair of pinch pieces 68 move to the optical disk D side, and part of the optical disk D is inserted between both of the pinch pieces 68. This makes it possible to pinch the optical disk D by a pair of pinch pieces 68. Next, the turn arm 67 is turned backwardly and downwardly, whereby the optical disk D pinched by a pair of pinch pieces 68 is removed from the disk storage unit 39, and is carried to a disk mount unit 65 of a disk drive unit (not shown). At this disk mount unit 65, the optical disk D is chucked by a disk table of the disk drive unit and a chucking plate. Then, the turn arm 67 is further turned backwardly in predetermined quantity in order to avoid contact with the optical disk D, and is retracted to a position indicated by the dashed line.
That is, when the optical disk D is removed from the disk storage unit 39 or when the optical disk D is stored in the disk storage unit 39, the optical disk D is significantly lifted upwardly by means of a turning movement of the turn arm 67. In addition, at a reproduction position at which the optical disk D is mounted on the disk mount unit 65, the turn arm 67 is significantly moved downwardly in order to prevent a pair of pinch pieces 68 from interfering with the optical disk D. Therefore, a height H from the bottom end of the disk carrying means 64 to the top end of the optical disk D is increased, and the entire apparatus has been unavoidably increased in height.
In the meantime, according to the previously described disk reproducing apparatus 11, there is an attempt to determine a mount position of a disk drive unit so as to lower the height H of the entire apparatus. For example, there is provided a mechanism of mounting the disk drive unit inside of a turn table 28, and mounting the optical disk D inside of the turn table 28, thereby causing a reproducing operation.
However, in such mechanism of mounting the disk drive unit inside of the turn table 28, when the optical disk D is mounted on the disk drive unit, it is required to arrange a disk face in line so as to orient the information recording face to the disk drive unit. Therefore, in the case where the optical disk D is mounted so that a disk face that is not on an information recording face side is opposed to the disk drive unit, there occurs a problem that a user must remove the optical disk D from the unit 11, and remount the information recording face toward the disk drive unit.
As means for solving such problem with incorrect mounting of the optical disk D (hereinafter, referred to as a “recording medium”), there is provided a mechanism of mounting a base unit with a pair two disk drive units inside of the turn table 28. However, this mechanism leads to an increased number of parts and higher cost of the apparatus, which prevents general-purpose use of the disk reproducing apparatus 11 or a disk recording apparatus to which this mechanism is applied.